Recording Method

ABSTRACT

A recording method includes: ejecting colored ink compositions that include a cyan ink composition, a magenta ink composition, a yellow ink composition, and a special color ink composition with a hue angle different from hue angles of the respective ink compositions from an ink jet head and causing the ink compositions to adhere to a recording medium; and causing a processing solution containing a coagulant for coagulating constituents of the colored ink compositions to adhere to the recording medium, the causing of the ink compositions to adhere is performed by performing scanning, in which the colored ink compositions are ejected while a relative position of the ink jet head with respect to the recording medium is changed in a scanning direction, a plurality of times, and a maximum distance of scanning performed once in the causing of the ink compositions to adhere is equal to or greater than 50 cm.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a recording method.

2. Related Art

According to ink jet recording methods, it is possible to record fineimages with relatively simple apparatuses, and the ink jet recordingmethods have rapidly been developed in various fields. Among themethods, ejection stability and the like have been studies in variousmanners. For example, JP-A-2017-186472 discloses a water-based ink jetink composition that includes: resin; a nitrogen-containing solvent withan SP value difference within 3 with respect to the resin; and water, inwhich the content of the nitrogen-containing solvent is 2 to 9 parts bymass with respect to 1 part by mass of the resin, and the content of anorganic solvent with a standard boiling point of equal to or greaterthan 280° C. is equal to or less than 3% by mass for the purpose ofproviding a water-based ink jet ink composition capable of forming animage with excellent clogging resistance in a head and with excellentabrasion resistance. As JP-A-2017-186472, an ink composition, which hasresin that is sufficiently dissolved and easily forms a film on arecording medium, which has excellent abrasion resistance, and which hasthe resin that is welded in a head, is not easily removed by cleaning,and does not easily recover due to utilization of a predeterminedsolvent is known.

It is possible to obtain a recorded product that is useful for displayby performing recording on a recording medium with a wide width usingthe ink jet printer. Recently, there is a problem that colors differdepending on locations in an image on the recording medium in a case inwhich recording is performed such that the distance of scanningperformed once is long on the recording medium with the wide width andit is attempted to improve image quality using a processing solution forcoagulating constituents of ink.

SUMMARY

An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a recordingmethod capable of suppressing occurrence of a color difference in arecorded product in a case as described above.

The present inventors have conducted intensive studies to solve theaforementioned problem. As a result, the present inventors havediscovered that the aforementioned problem can be solved by using basiccolor ink compositions and a special color ink composition together andhave completed the invention.

That is, the invention is as follows.

[1] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided arecording method including: ejecting colored ink compositions thatinclude a cyan ink composition, a magenta ink composition, a yellow inkcomposition, and a special color ink composition with a hue angle thatis different from hue angles of the respective ink compositions from anink jet head and causing the ink compositions to adhere to a recordingmedium; and causing a processing solution that contains a coagulant forcoagulating constituents of the colored ink compositions to adhere tothe recording medium, in which the causing of the ink compositions toadhere is performed by performing scanning, in which the colored inkcompositions are ejected while a relative position of the ink jet headwith respect to the recording medium is changed in a scanning direction,a plurality of times, and a maximum distance of scanning performed oncein the causing of the colored ink compositions to adhere is equal to orgreater than 50 cm.

[2] In the recording method according to [1], the special color inkcomposition may include at least any of an orange ink composition, a redink composition, a green ink composition, and a blue ink composition.

[3] In the recording method according to [1] or [2], the colored inkcompositions may further include a black ink composition.

[4] In the recording method according to any one of [1] to [3], therecording medium may be low-absorbable recording medium or anon-absorbable recording medium.

[5] The recording method according to any one of [1] to [4] may furtherinclude: heating the recording medium, the causing of the inkcompositions to adhere being performed on the heated recording medium;or feeding wind to a region to which the colored ink compositions arecaused to adhere in the causing of the ink compositions to adhere.

[6] In the recording method according to any one of [1] to [5], asurface temperature of the recording medium when the colored inkcompositions are caused to adhere in the causing of the ink compositionsto adhere may be 30° C. to 45° C.

[7] In the recording method according to any one of [1] to [6], amaximum time of the scanning performed once in the causing of the inkcompositions to adhere may be equal to or greater than 0.8 seconds.

[8] In the recording method according to any one of [1] to [7], thecoagulant may be any one kind or more of polyvalent metal salts, organicacids or salts thereof, and cationic resin.

[9] In the recording method according to any one of [1] to [8], amaximum distance of the scanning performed once in the causing of theink compositions to adhere may be 50 to 500 cm.

[10] In the recording method according to any one of [1] to [9], aregion in which an amount of the adhering processing solution is 5% bymass to 30% by mass with respect to an amount of the adhering coloredink compositions may be included in a recording region to which thecolored ink compositions and the processing solutions are caused toadhere.

[11] In the recording method according to any one of [1] to [10], atemperature difference in surface temperatures of the recording mediumin the causing of the ink compositions to adhere may be 1° C. to 10° C.

[12] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided arecording method including: ejecting colored ink compositions thatinclude a cyan ink composition, a magenta ink composition, a yellow inkcomposition, and a special color ink composition with a hue angle thatis different from hue angles of the respective ink compositions from anink jet head and causing the ink compositions to adhere to a recordingmedium; and causing a processing solution that contains a coagulant forcoagulating constituents of the colored ink compositions to adhere tothe recording medium, in which the causing of the ink compositions toadhere is performed by performing scanning, in which the colored inkcompositions are ejected while a relative position of the ink jet headwith respect to the recording medium is changed in a scanning direction,a plurality of times, and a difference in surface temperatures of therecording medium when the colored ink is caused to adhere in the causingof the ink compositions to adhere is from 1° C. to 10° C.

[13] According to still another aspect of the invention, there isprovided a recording apparatus that performs recording by the recordingmethod according to any one of [1] to [12].

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a configuration of arecording apparatus that is used in an embodiment.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are partial side views of the recording apparatus in anink adhesion process, where FIG. 2A illustrates a mode in which nocarriage is arranged and FIG. 2B illustrates a mode in which a carriageis arranged.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configurationexample in the surroundings of the carriage of the recording apparatusthat is used in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating an example of a fan that therecording apparatus that is used in the embodiment has.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention (hereinafter, referred to asan embodiment) will be described in detail with reference to drawings asneeded. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and variousmodifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof. Notethat the same reference numerals will be given to the same elements inthe drawings and repeated description will be omitted. In addition, thepositional relationships such as upward, downward, left, right, and thelike are on the basis of the positional relationship illustrated in thedrawings unless otherwise particularly indicated. Further, dimensionalratios in the drawings are not limited to the ratios illustrated in thedrawings.

Recording Method

The recording method according to the embodiment includes: an inkadhesion process of ejecting colored ink compositions that include acyan ink composition, a magenta ink composition, a yellow inkcomposition, and a special color ink composition with a hue angle thatis different from those of the respective ink compositions from an inkjet head and causing the colored ink compositions to adhere to arecording medium; and a processing solution adhesion process of causinga processing solution that contains a coagulant for coagulatingconstituents of the colored ink composition to adhere to the recordingmedium, the ink adhesion process is performed by performing scanning, inwhich the colored ink compositions are ejected while a relative positionof the ink jet head with respect to the recording medium is changed in ascanning direction, a plurality of times, and a maximum distance of thescanning performed once in the ink adhesion process is equal to orgreater than 50 cm.

As described above, it has been discovered that there is a uniqueproblem that a color difference increases in the recording method inwhich the distance of the scanning performed once is long. Examples of arecording apparatus in which the distance of scanning is long include alarge format printer and the like.

In a case in which a processing solution is used, image quality isimproved since it is possible to fix ink droplets that have adhered tothe recording medium early. In contrast, in a case in which inkcompositions of a plurality of colors are used, it is estimated that thecolor difference increases since there may be a difference incoagulation depending on an adhesion order of the ink compositions.Meanwhile, in a case in which no reaction solution is used, it isestimated that aggregation occurs before the adhering ink droplets arefixed and the color difference increases. The color difference is adifference in colors depending on locations regardless of the fact thatit is attempted to record an image of the same color in one recordingmedium. In a case in which a recording medium with a wide width in thescanning direction is used, the distance of the scanning performed onceincreases, and the color difference in the scanning direction tends tooccur. It is estimated to be because in the case in which the distanceof the scanning performed once is long, influences of factors of thecolor difference, which will be described later, are large. The colordifference will also be referred to as an in-plane color difference.

In addition, a scanning time of one pass is long in a recordingapparatus with a wide width in the scanning direction of the recordingmedium, and in such a case, recording may be performed by increasing amoving speed of a carriage in order to improve producibility and imagequality. However, influences of wind due to the movement increase at thesame time, and the influences may affect the color difference.

Image quality is improved by raising a heating temperature in order toquicken drying of the ink in addition to or instead of using theprocessing solution. In a case in which recording is performed on alow-absorbable recording medium or a non-absorbable recording medium, itis effective to promote the drying by performing heating during therecording in order to improve image quality. However, it has beendiscovered that the color difference also increases due to drying duringrecording. This is estimated to be because temperature deviation tendsto occur in the width direction in a case in which a heater is providedbehind the recording medium or wind is blown thereto, and in a recordingapparatus with a wide width in the scanning direction of the recordingmedium, such as a large format printer, in particular, the temperaturedeviation cannot be ignored in terms of the color difference. In a casein which the width in the scanning direction is wide, in particular,large numbers of joint portion of the heater and wind outlet ports and alarge number of locations where in-plane temperature differences tend tooccur due to the configuration of the apparatus may be factors of thelarge temperature difference. As a result, a color difference due to thetemperature deviation depending on the aforementioned heating locationsoccurs.

Further, the weight itself of the ejected dots may change, or landingdeviations due to non-uniformity of meniscus may occur due to promotionof the drying in the vicinity of nozzles through the heating. In therecording method using the recording apparatus with the wide width inthe scanning direction, it is estimated that the color difference tendsto occur due to such composite factors.

Meanwhile, it is possible to reduce the color difference by using abasic color ink composition and a special color ink composition togetherin the embodiment. This is estimated to be because that recording acolor in a special color region using a special color ink compositiondoes not tend to express a color difference even if slight fluctuationsoccur in an aggregating state of the dots on a recording surface due tolanding deviations or the like and differences occur in how dots spreaddepending on drying deviations. In this manner, it is possible toperform recording with a small color difference from a basic colorregion to a special color region. Hereinafter, the respective processeswill be described in detail. The special color region is a portionrecorded with a special color of the image.

Meanwhile, it is assumed that the color difference increases in a casein which a color of a special color region is reproduced as a secondarycolor on the recording medium by causing dots of ink of two colors todensely present together and in a case in which fluctuations in theaggregating state of the dots on the recording surface and thedifferences occur in how dots spread occur or the order of adhesion ofthe ink differs.

Ink Adhesion Process

The ink adhesion process is a process of ejecting a colored inkcomposition that includes a cyan ink composition, a magenta inkcomposition, a yellow ink composition, and a special color inkcomposition with a hue angle that is different from those of therespective ink compositions from an ink jet head and causing the coloredink composition to adhere to a recording medium. Here, the ink jet headis a head that ejects the ink compositions to the recording medium andperforms recording, and the head has a cavity that causes theaccommodated ink composition to be ejected from nozzles, an ejectiondrive unit that applies ejection drive force to the ink compositions,and nozzles that eject the ink compositions to the outside of the head.The ejection drive unit can be formed with an electromechanicaltransformation element such as a piezoelectric element that changes avolume in the cavity using mechanical deformation, an electrothermaltransformation element that generates air bubbles in the ink bygenerating heat and ejects the ink, or the like.

The ink adhesion process is performed by performing scanning, in whichthe ink compositions are ejected while the relative position of the inkjet head with respect to the recording medium is changed in the scanningdirection, a plurality of times. That is, the ink jet head is preferablya serial head. In the serial scheme using the serial head, it ispossible to record an image on the recording medium by causing the headto move in a main scanning direction (the lateral direction or the widthdirection of the recording medium) and ejecting ink droplets from nozzleopenings of the head in conjunction with the movement. The scanning maybe performed by the head being mounted on a carriage or the like and bythe carriage moving in the main scanning direction. In the invention,the scanning will also be referred to as main scanning.

Then, the recording is caused to advance by alternately repeating thescanning and sub scanning, thereby causing the recording medium togradually move in the sub scanning direction (a longitudinal directionor a transport direction of the recording medium).

The maximum distance of the scanning performed once is equal to orgreater than 50 cm, is preferably from 50 to 500 cm, is more preferablyfrom 50 to 400 cm, is further preferably from 55 to 300 cm, and is stillfurther preferably from 60 to 200 cm. The maximum distance isparticularly preferably from 70 to 190 cm, is more particularlypreferably from 100 to 180 cm, and is further particularly preferablyfrom 130 to 170 cm.

If the distance is equal to or greater than 50 cm, it is possible toobtain a recorded product that is useful for display or the like. Incontrast, it is possible to reduce the color difference according to theinvention although the color difference tends to occur in the obtainedrecorded product, and the invention is particularly useful. Also,although the upper limit of the distance is not particularly limited,the upper limit is preferably equal to or less than 500 cm in terms ofthe configuration of the recording apparatus and more excellentreduction of the color difference.

“The maximum distance of the scanning performed once” means a distanceat which one point of the ink jet head faces the recording medium in acase of recording from an end to an end in the scanning direction of therecording medium in the scanning performed once. Note that scanning witha distance that is shorter than the aforementioned maximum distance ofthe scanning performed once may be performed in accordance with an imageto be recorded when the recording method is performed.

An additional reason that the color difference tends to occur in therecorded product as the maximum distance of the scanning performed onceincreases other than the reason described above is estimated to bebecause a portion of a recording medium floating from a platen occurswhen the recording medium is transported and this leads to landingdeviations of the ink (position deviations). Further, the floating ofthe recording medium also causes the temperature difference of thesurface temperature of the recording medium.

A recording medium with a width in the scanning direction within theaforementioned maximum distance of the scanning performed once ispreferably used as the recording medium. This is preferable since it ispossible to obtain the aforementioned maximum distance of the scanningperformed once.

The maximum time of the scanning performed once in the ink adhesionprocess is preferably equal to or greater than 0.8 seconds. The maximumtime is preferably from 0.8 seconds to 5 seconds or less, is morepreferably equal to or greater than 0.8 seconds and equal to or lessthan 4 seconds, is further preferably equal to or greater than 0.8seconds and equal to or less than 3 seconds, and is particularlypreferably from 1.5 seconds to 2.5 seconds. The maximum time of thescanning performed once preferably falls within the aforementioned rangesince this is suitable for performing recording on the recording mediumwith the width within the aforementioned range. Although the colordifference tends to occur in the obtained recorded product, theinvention is particularly useful since it is possible to reduce thecolor difference. Note that “the maximum time of the scanning performedonce” means a time during which one point of the ink jet head faces therecording medium in a case of performing recording from an end to an endin the scanning direction of the recording medium in the scanningperformed once. Note that scanning may be performed during a time thatis shorter than the aforementioned maximum time of the scanningperformed once in accordance with an image to be recorded when therecording method is performed.

Note that an average scanning speed in the ink adhesion process ispreferably from 60 to 100 cm/second.

It is preferable that the recording method include a heating process ofheating the recording medium and that the ink adhesion process beperformed on the heated recording surface of the recording medium. Forheating the recording medium, a warming mechanism such as a platenheater, a warm wind heater, or an IR heater can be used. The surfacetemperature of the recording medium when the ink compositions are causedto adhere in the ink adhesion process is preferably from 20° C. to 60°C., is more preferably from 20° C. to 50° C., is further preferably from25° C. to 45° C., is further preferably from 30° C. to 40° C., and isparticularly preferably from 32° C. to 38° C. Image quality of theobtained recorded product tends to be improved by heating the recordingmedium and raising the surface temperature. Also, ejection stability andnozzle clogging recovery tend to be further improved by setting thesurface temperature of the recording medium to be equal to or less than60° C.

The heating process may be performed such that the surface temperatureof the recording medium rises to be higher than an ordinary temperatureby the recording medium receiving heat generated by the recordingapparatus itself, for example. That is, this means that the surfacetemperature of the recording medium is higher than the ordinarytemperature.

Note that a temperature of the entire region, which can face during themain scanning of the head, on the recording medium supported by theplaten is measured, and the maximum temperature of the temperature ofthe surface of the recording medium during the recording of the regionis regarded as the aforementioned surface temperature of the recordingmedium.

A portion at which the surface temperature of the recording medium islower than the maximum temperature may occur, and this may lead to atemperature difference, during the recording of the region. Thetemperature difference tends to increase as the maximum distance of thescanning performed once increases. One of the reasons is that it becomesdifficult to uniformly heat the entire recording medium in the scanningdirection.

A temperature difference between the maximum temperature and the minimumtemperature of the temperature of the entire region, which can faceduring the main scanning of the head, on the recording medium supportedby the platen is preferably equal to or less than 10° C., is morepreferably equal to or less than 7° C., and is further preferably equalto or less than 5° C. The aforementioned temperature difference ispreferably equal to or greater than 1° C., is more preferably equal toor greater than 2° C., and is further preferably equal to or greaterthan 3° C. The temperature difference preferably falls within theaforementioned range in terms of a more excellent reduction of the colordifference and a higher degree of freedom in designing the recordingapparatus. The lower surface temperature is more preferable in terms ofreduction of the color difference since the temperature difference tendsto decrease as the aforementioned surface temperature of the recordingmedium is lower.

More excellent suppression of density irregularity, the colordifference, and the like is achieved by promoting the drying of the inkthrough the heating process. The surface temperature of the recordingmedium when the ink is caused to adhere is preferably equal to orgreater than the aforementioned range in terms of this point. Meanwhile,the surface temperature of the recording medium is preferably equal toor less than the aforementioned range since more excellent suppressionof the color difference is achieved due to suppression of occurrence oftemperature irregularity that may become a reason of the occurrence ofthe color difference.

The ink adhesion process preferably includes a blowing process ofblowing wind to the region to which the ink compositions have beenadhered. Although the blowing method is not particularly limited, ablower or the like provided in the recording apparatus is used, forexample. By including the blowing process, it is possible to efficientlydry the ink compositions that have adhered to the recording medium, androughness of the obtained recorded product and the density irregularitytend to be further suppressed.

The temperature of the wind in the blowing process may be a temperatureof warm wind for heating the recording medium, and in this case, thewind may be fed in the aforementioned heating process of heating therecording medium. This is preferable since image quality on the obtainedrecording medium is further improved. Alternatively, the wind may alsobe fed as wind at the ordinary temperature that does not heat therecording medium. This is also preferable since evaporation of theconstituents of the ink is promoted, obtained image quality on therecording medium is further improved, and excellent ink ejectionstability from the head is achieved. The temperature of the wind to befed may be the surface temperature of the recording medium in theaforementioned heating process of heating the recording medium.Alternatively, the specific temperature of the wind to be fed ispreferably equal to or less than 70° C., is more preferably equal to orless than 50° C., is further preferably equal to or less than 40° C., isfurther preferably equal to or less than 35° C., and is particularlypreferably equal to or less than 30° C. Although the lower limit of thetemperature of the wind is not limited, the lower limit is preferablyequal to or greater than 20° C. Meanwhile, in a case in which theblowing process is provided, a difference tends to occur in the surfacetemperature of the recording medium.

A region in which the total amount of the adhering colored inkcompositions is from 5 to 30 mg/inch² is preferably included in therecording region to which the colored ink compositions and theprocessing solution are caused to adhere, a region in which the totalamount thereof is from 7 to 25 mg/inch² is more preferably includedtherein, and a region in which the total amount thereof is from 9 tomg/inch² is further preferably included therein. By having a region withsuch an adhesion amount, it is possible to obtain a recorded productthat is useful for display or the like. Further, the total amount ofadhesion in a region, in which the total amount of the adhering coloredink compositions is the maximum, in the recording region preferablyfalls within the aforementioned range in terms of the aforementionedpoint.

Post-Heating Process

A post-heating process of further heating the recording medium ispreferably provided after the ink adhesion process. Although the heatingmethod is not particularly limited, examples thereof include a platenheater, a warm wind heater, and an IR heater. The heating temperaturecan be preferably set to be equal to or greater than 60° C. The heatingtemperature is preferably from 70 to 110° C. and is more preferably from80° C. to 100° C.

Colored Ink Compositions

The colored ink compositions include a cyan ink composition, a magentaink composition, a yellow ink composition, and a special color inkcomposition with a hue angle that is different from those of the threeink compositions. Here, the “hue angle” means a hue angle of a CIE colorsystem when an image is recorded with the ink compositions and the coloris measured. Specifically, an image is recorded using each ink, and thecolor of the recorded portion is measured. Any image may be used here aslong as it is possible to check the hue angle of the portion recorded bythe adhesion of the ink. Examples thereof include an image obtained bycausing the ink to adhere to a white recording medium such that theamount of adhesion thereof is 10 mg/inch².

The cyan ink composition, the magenta ink composition, and the yellowink composition respectively have mutually different hue angles. In theembodiment, the hue angle (∠H°) of the cyan ink composition ispreferably from 230° to 260°, the hue angle (∠H° of the magenta inkcomposition is preferably from 330° to 360°, and the hue angle of theyellow ink composition (∠H°) is preferably from 80° to 110°. The cyanink composition, the magenta ink composition, the yellow inkcomposition, and the special color ink composition are respectivelychromatic ink with which it is possible to record chromatic colors withthe aforementioned hue angles.

Although the special color ink composition is not particularly limitedas long as the hue angle thereof is different from those of the cyan inkcomposition, the magenta ink composition, and the yellow ink compositionused in the recording method, at least any of an orange ink composition,a red ink composition, a green ink composition, and a blue inkcomposition is exemplified, for example. One kind of the special colorink compositions may be used alone, or two or more kinds of the specialcolor ink compositions may be used in combination. The color differenceis suppressed by using the special color ink composition. Although thehue angle of the special color ink is not limited, the special color inkwith the hue angle within the range, which will be described later, ispreferably used. For example, the special ink with a hue angle outsidethe preferable ranges of the hue angles of the cyan ink composition, themagenta ink composition, and the yellow ink composition may also beused.

In addition, the colored ink compositions may further include a blackink composition in addition to the aforementioned ink compositions. Acolor expression region of the obtained recorded product tends to beextended by using the black ink composition. Note that the special colorink composition is not a black ink composition.

Each ink composition included in the colored ink compositions includes acoloring material. The ink composition preferably includes a solvent andcan include resin, a wax, an antifoaming agent, and a surfactant asneeded. The ink composition preferably contains fine resin particles andan organic solvent. The ink composition is preferably a water-based inkcomposition. The water-based composition is a composition that includeswater as one of main solvent constituents, and the content of water ispreferably equal to or greater than 45% by mass. A similar basiccomposition can be exemplified independently for each ink compositionincluded in the colored ink compositions other than that the hue anglediffers due to a difference of the type of the coloring material used.Hereinafter, each constituent will be described.

Coloring Material

Examples of the coloring material include a pigment and a dye. Thepigment is preferably used in terms of excellent light resistance andthe like.

Although the pigment used in the cyan ink composition is notparticularly limited, and examples thereof include C.I. Pigment Blue, 1,2, 3, 15, 15:1, 15:2, 15:3, 15:34, 15:4, 16, 18, 25, 65, and 66 and C.I.Vat Blue and 60. Note that the hue angle (∠H°) of the cyan inkcomposition is preferably from 230° to 260°.

Although the pigment used in the magenta ink composition is notparticularly limited, examples thereof include C.I. Pigment Red 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 30, 31,32, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 48 (Ca), 48 (Mn), 53, 57 (Ca), 57:1, 88, 114,122, 123, 144, 146, 150, 166, 168, 170, 171, 176, 179, 184, 185, 187,202, 209, 219, 224, and 245 and C.I. Pigment Violet 33, 43, and 50. Notethat the hue angle (∠H°) of the magenta ink composition is preferablyfrom 330° to 360°.

Although the pigment used in the yellow ink composition is notparticularly limited, examples thereof include C.I. Pigment Yellow 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 24, 34, 35, 37, 53, 55, 65,73, 74, 75, 81, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 108, 109, 110, 113, 114,117, 120, 124, 128, 129, 133, 138, 139, 147, 151, 153, 154, 167, 172,and 180. Note that the hue angle (∠H°) of the yellow ink composition ispreferably from 80° to 110°.

Although carbon black used in the black ink composition is notparticularly limited, examples thereof include No. 2300, No. 900, MCF88,No. 33, No. 40, No. 45, No. 52, MA7, MA8, MA100, No. 2200B, and the like(all of which are manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation),Raven 5750, Raven 5250, Raven 5000, Raven 3500, Raven 1255, Raven 700,and the like (all of which are manufactured by Carbon Columbia), Regal400R, Regal 330R, Regal 660R, Mogul L, Monarch 700, Monarch 800, Monarch880, Monarch 900, Monarch 1000, Monarch 1100, Monarch 1300, Monarch1400, and the like (all of which are manufactured by CABOT JAPAN K.K.),and Color Black FW1, Color Black FW2, Color Black FW2V, Color BlackFW18, Color Black FW200, Color Black 5150, Color Black S160, Color Black5170, Printex 35, Printex U, Printex V, Printex 140U, Special Black 6,Special Black 5, Special Black 4A, and Special Black 4 (all of which aremanufactured by Degussa).

Although the pigment used in the orange ink composition is notparticularly limited, examples thereof include C.I. Pigment Orange 5,43, and 62. Note that the hue angle (∠H°) of the orange ink compositionis preferably from 30° to 80°.

Although the pigment used in the red ink composition is not particularlylimited, examples thereof include C.I. Pigment Red 17, 49:2, 112, 117,175, 177, 178, 188, 254, 255, 264, and 149. Note that the hue angle(∠H°) of the red ink composition is preferably from 0° to 30°.

Although the pigment used in the green ink composition is notparticularly limited, examples thereof include C.I. Pigment Green 7 and36. Note that the hue angle (∠H°) of the green ink composition ispreferably from 110° to 230°.

Although the pigment used in the blue ink composition is notparticularly limited, examples thereof include C.I. Pigment Blue 21, 22,60, and 64, and C.I. Pigment Violet 3, 19, 23, 32, 36, and 38. Note thatthe hue angle (∠H°) of the blue ink composition is preferably from 260°to 330°.

Examples of the dye include acid dyes such as C.I. Acid Yellow, C.I.Acid Red, C.I. Acid Blue, C.I. Acid Orange, C.I. Acid Violet, C.I. andAcid black; basic dyes such as C.I. Basic Yellow, C.I. Basic Red, C.I.Basic Blue, C.I. Basic Orange, C.I. Basic Violet, and C.I. Basic Black;direct dyes such as C.I. Direct Yellow, C.I. Direct Red, C.I. DirectBlue, C.I. Direct Orange, C.I. Direct Violet, and C.I. Direct Black;reactive dyes such as C.I. Reactive Yellow, C.I. Reactive Red, C.I.Reactive Blue, C.I. Reactive Orange, C.I. Reactive Violet, and C.I.Reactive Black; and dispersion dyes such as C.I. Disperse Yellow, C.I.Disperse Red, C.I. Disperse Blue, C.I. Disperse Orange, C.I. DisperseOrange, and C.I. Disperse Black. One kind of the coloring materials maybe used alone, or two or more kinds of the coloring materials may beused together.

In a case in which the coloring material is a pigment, it is possible touse the coloring material in a state of a pigment dispersion. Thepigment dispersion may include a dispersant as needed in addition to thepigment and the solvent. Examples of the solvent include hydrophilicsolvents such as water and diethylene glycol. Also, examples of thedispersant include a styrene-acrylic acid copolymer. Although notparticularly limited, the acid value of the dispersant is preferablyequal to or greater than 20 mgKOH/g in terms of dispersing properties.

Although the content of the coloring material in each colored inkcomposition may differ from each other, the content thereof ispreferably from 0.1% by mass to 10% by mass, is more preferably from0.5% by mass to 7% by mass, is further preferably from 1% by mass to 4%by mass, and is further preferably from 1.5% by mass to 4% by mass withrespect to the total amount of the ink composition.

Solvent

Examples of the solvent include water and organic solvent. The contentof water is preferably from 50% by mass to 80% by mass, is morepreferably from 55% by mass to 75% by mass, and is further preferablyfrom 60% by mass to 70% by mass with respect to the total amount of theink composition.

Although the organic solvent is not particularly limited, specificexamples thereof include alcohols and glycols such as glycerin, ethyleneglycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol,dipropylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,2-butanediol, 1,2-pentanediol,1,2-hexanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol,diethylene glycol mono-n-propyl ether, ethylene glycol mono-iso-propylether, diethylene glycol mono-iso-propyl ether, ethylene glycolmono-n-butyl ether, ethylene glycol mono-t-butyl ether, diethyleneglycol mono-n-butyl ether, triethylene glycol monobutyl ether, dethyleneglycol mono-t-butyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propyleneglycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol mono-t-butyl ether, propyleneglycol mono-n-propyl ether, propylene glycol mono-iso-propyl ether,propylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, dipropylene glycol mono-n-butylether, dipropylene glycol mono-n-propyl ether, dipropylene glycolmono-iso-propyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethyleneglycol diethyl ether, diethylene glycol dibutyl ether, diethylene glycolethyl methyl ether, diethylene glycol butyl methyl ether, triethyleneglycol dimethyl ether, tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether, dipropyleneglycol dimethyl ether, dipropylene glycol diethyl ether, tripropyleneglycol dimethyl ether, methanol, ethanol, n-propyl alcohol, iso-propylalcohol, n-butanol, 2-butanol, tert-butanol, iso-butanol, n-pentanol,2-pentanol, 3-pentanol, and tert-pentanol. One kind of the organicsolvents may be used alone, or two or more kinds of the organic solventsmay be used in combination.

The content of the organic solvent is preferably from 5% by mass to 40%by mass, is more preferably from 10% by mass to 35% by mass, and isfurther preferably from 15% by mass to 30% by mass with respect to thetotal amount of the ink composition.

Nitrogen-Containing Solvent

In addition, it is also preferable to use a nitrogen-containing solventas the organic solvent. By including the nitrogen-containing solvent,abrasion resistance tends to be further improved even in a case in whichthe heating temperature is low due to an effect of promoting softeningof resin particles by the nitrogen-containing solvent. In a case inwhich the recording medium is a low-absorbable recording medium or anon-absorbable recording medium, adhesiveness tends to be furtherimproved by an effect of softening the surface of the recording medium.Although the nitrogen-containing solvent is not particularly limited,examples thereof include a pyrrolidone-based solvent, animidazolidinone-based solvent, an amide ether-based solvent, apyridine-based solvent, a pyrazine-based solvent, and a pyridine-basedsolvent.

Preferable examples of the nitrogen-containing solvent include anamide-based solvent. Examples of the amide-based solvent include acyclic amide-based solvent and an acyclic amide-based solvent. Examplesof the cyclic amide-based solvent include a pyrrolidone-based solvent asdescribed above. Examples of the acyclic amide-based solvent include anamide ether-based solvent as described above. Among them, thepyrrolidone-based solvent is preferably used, and examples thereofinclude 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidon.One kind of the nitrogen-containing solvents may be used alone, or twoor more kinds of the nitrogen-containing solvents may be used together.

The content of the nitrogen-containing solvent is preferably from 3% bymass to 25% by mass, is more preferably from 5% by mass to 23% by mass,and is further preferably from 10% by mass to 21% by mass with respectto the total mass of the ink composition.

The content of the organic solvent other than the nitrogen-containingsolvent in the organic solvent is preferably from 1% by mass to 20% bymass, is more preferably from 5% by mass to 20% by mass, and is furtherpreferably from 8% by mass to 16% by mass. Among the organic solventsother than the nitrogen-containing solvent, polyols and alkylene glycolethers are preferably used. Polyols are organic solvents, each of whichhas two or more hydroxyl groups in a molecule. The number of hydroxylgroups is preferably two or three. Alkyl glycol ethers are monoether ordiether of alkylene glycol. Alkyl ether is preferable as ether, andalkyl ether having one to five carbon atoms is more preferably used. Thenumber of carbon atoms of alkylene glycol is preferably from two tofive.

An organic solvent with a standard boiling point from 180° C. to 280° C.is preferably included, an organic solvent with a standard boiling pointfrom 200° C. to 260° C. is more preferably included, and an organicsolvent with a standard boiling point from 210° C. to 250° C. is furtherpreferably included. In this case, more excellent image quality of theimage is achieved, which is preferable.

The content of the organic solvent is preferably equal to or less than1% by mass, is more preferably equal to or less than 0.5% by mass, andis further preferably equal to or less than 0.1% by mass with respect tothe composition with the standard boiling point of greater than 280° C.,and the lower limit may be 0% by mass. In this case, more excellentimage quality of the image is achieved, which is preferable.

Resin

Examples of the resin include resin that is dissolved in the inkcomposition or resin that is dispersed in the form of fine particlessuch as an emulsion. By using such resin, a recorded product with moreexcellent abrasion resistance tends to be obtained. In particular, useof such resin tends to contribute to improvement in bonding propertiesbetween the recording medium and an ink coated film (abrasionresistance). Although such resin is not particularly limited, examplesthereof include acrylic resin, vinyl acetate resin, vinyl chlorideresin, butadiene resin, styrene resin, polyester resin, crosslinkedacrylic resin, crosslinked styrene resin, benzoguanamine resin, phenolresin, silicone resin, epoxy resin, urethane resin, paraffin resin,fluorine resin, and water-soluble resin, and copolymers obtained bycombining monomers that form such resin. Although the copolymers are notparticularly limited, examples thereof include styrene butadiene resinand styrene acrylic resin. As the resin, a polymer latex that includessuch resin can be used. For example, polymer latexes that include fineparticles of acrylic resin, styrene acrylic resin, styrene resin,crosslinked acrylic resin, and crosslinked styrene resin areexemplified. Note that one kind of the resin may be used alone or two ormore kinds of the resin may be used together.

The acrylic resin is resin of a monomer or a copolymer obtained by usingat least an acrylic monomer as a monomer. Examples of the acrylicmonomer include (meth)acrylate, (meth)acrylic acid, acrylamide, andacrylonitrile. In a case in which the acrylic resin is a copolymer,examples thereof include acryl-vinyl resin using a vinyl-based monomeras another monomer, and in particular, styrene acryl resin using styreneas the vinyl-based monomer and the like are exemplified.

Acrylic resin, urethane resin, polyester resin, and the like arepreferably used as the resin due to availability and because it is easyto obtain such resin that has desired properties.

The content of the resin is preferably from 1% by mass to 12.5% by mass,is more preferably from 2% by mass to 10% by mass, and is furtherpreferably from 3% by mass to 7.5% by mass with respect to the totalamount of the ink composition. If the content of the resin is equal toor greater than 1% by mass, abrasion resistance tends to be furtherimproved as described above. If the content of the resin is equal to orless than 12.5% by mass, the viscosity of the ink tends to decrease, andexcellent ejection stability and clogging recovery tend to be achieved.

Wax

Examples of the wax include a wax that is dissolved in the inkcomposition or a wax that is dispersed in the form of fine particlessuch as an emulsion. By using such a wax, a recorded product with moreexcellent abrasion resistance tends to be obtained. In particular, thewax tends to contribute to improvement in abrasion resistance by beinglocalized on the surface of the ink coated film (at the interfacebetween the air and the ink coated film) on the recording medium.Although such a wax is not particularly limited, examples thereofinclude an ester wax of a higher fatty acid and higher monohydricalcohol or dihydric alcohol (preferably, monohydric alcohol), a paraffinwax, a microcrystalline wax, and an olefin wax, and mixtures thereof.

The content of the wax is preferably from 0.1% by mass to 5% by mass, ismore preferably from 0.2% by mass to 4% by mass, and is preferably from0.3% by mass to 3% by mass with respect to the total amount of the inkcomposition. If the content of the wax is equal to or greater than 0.1%by mass, abrasion resistance tends to be further improved as describedabove. If the content of the wax is equal to or less than 5% by mass,the viscosity of the ink tends to decrease, and excellent ejectionstability and clogging recovery tend to be achieved.

Surfactant

Although the surfactant is not particularly limited, examples thereofinclude an acetylene glycol-based surfactant, a fluorine-basedsurfactant, and polysiloxane-based surfactant.

Although the acetylene glycol-based surfactant is not particularlylimited, preferable examples include one or more kind selected from analkylene oxide adduct of 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decin-4,7-diol and2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decin-4,7-diol, and an alkylene oxide adduct of2,4-dimethyl-5-decin-4-ol and 2,4-dimethyl-5-decin-4-ol. Althoughcommercially available acetylene glycol-based surfactant is notparticularly limited, examples thereof include Olfine 104 series, Eseries such as Olfine E1010, Surfynol 465, and Surfynol 61 (names ofproducts manufactured by Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.). One kindof the acetylene glycol-based surfactants may be used alone, or two ormore kinds of the acetylene glycol-based surfactants may be usedtogether.

Although the fluorine-based surfactant is not particularly limited,examples thereof include a perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acid salt, aperfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid salt, perfluoroalkyl phosphoric acidester, a perfluoroalkyl ethylene oxide adduct, perfluoroalkyl betaine,and a perfluoroalkyl amine oxide compound. Although commerciallyavailable fluorine-based surfactants are not particularly limited, andexamples thereof include S-144 and S-145 (manufactured by AGC Inc.);FC-170C, FC-430, and Fluorad FC4430 (manufactured by Sumitomo 3MLimited.); FSO, FSO-100, FSN, FSN-100, and FS-300 (manufactured byDupont); and FT-250 and 251 (manufactured by NEOS Company Limited). Onekind of the fluorine surfactants may be used alone or two or more kindsof the fluorine surfactants may be used together.

Examples of the silicone-based surfactant include a polysiloxanecompound and polyether-modified organosiloxane. Although commerciallyavailable products of the silicone-based surfactant are not particularlylimited, specific examples thereof include BYK-306, BYK-307, BYK-333,BYK-341, BYK-345, BYK-346, BYK-347, BYK-348, and BYK-349 (all of whichare names of products manufactured by BYK Additives & Instruments) andKF-351A, KF-352A, KF-353, KF-354L, KF-355A, KF-615A, KF-945, KF-640,KF-642, KF-643, KF-6020, X-22-4515, KF-6011, KF-6012, KF-6015, andKF-6017 (all of which are names of products manufactured by Shin-EtsuChemical Co., Ltd.).

The content of the surfactant is preferably from 0.1% by mass to 3% bymass, is more preferably from 0.2% by mass to 2% by mass, and is furtherpreferably from 0.3% by mass to 1.5% by mass with respect to the totalamount of the ink composition.

Antifoaming Agent

Although the antifoaming agent is not particularly limited, and examplesthereof include a silicone-based antifoaming agent, a polyether-basedantifoaming agent, a fatty acid ester-based antifoaming agent, and anacetylene glycol-based antifoaming agent. Commercially availableantifoaming agents include BYK-011, BYK-012, BYK-017, BYK-018, BYK-019,BYK-020, BYK-021, BYK-022, BYK-023, BYK-024, BYK-025, BYK-028, BYK-038,BYK-044, BYK-080A, BYK-094, BYK-1610, BYK-1615, BYK-1650, BYK-1730,BYK-1770 (all of which are names of products manufactured by BYKAdditives & Instruments), Surfynol DF37, DF110D, DF58, DF75, DF220,MD-20, Environgem AD01 (all of which are names of products manufacturedby Nissin Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.). One kind of the antifoamingagents may be used alone, or two or more kinds of the antifoaming agentsmay be mixed and used.

The content of the antifoaming agent is preferably from 0.03% by mass to0.7% by mass, is more preferably from 0.05% by mass to 0.5% by mass, andis further preferably from 0.08% by mass to 0.3% by mass with respect tothe total amount of the ink composition.

Other Constituents

The ink compositions used in the embodiment may additionally includevarious additives such as a dissolution aid, a viscosity adjustingagent, a pH adjusting agent, an antioxidant, an antiseptic, a fungicide,a corrosion inhibitor, and a chelating agent for capturing metal ionsthat affect dispersion.

Recording Medium

Examples of the recording medium include an absorbable recording medium,a low-absorbable recording medium, and a non-absorbable recordingmedium. Among them, the low-absorbable recording medium or thenon-absorbable recording medium is preferably used since it is possibleto create a recorded product that is useful for display or the like.Since roughness, density irregularity, and the color difference tend tooccur when such a recording medium is used, the invention is thusparticularly useful.

Although the absorbable recording medium is not particularly limited,examples thereof include ordinary paper such as an electronic photographsheet with high permeability of ink compositions and an ink jet sheet(ink jet dedicated paper including an ink absorbing layer formed withsilica particles or alumina particles or an ink absorbing layer formedwith a hydrophilic polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).

Although the low-absorbable recording medium is not particularlylimited, examples thereof include coating paper including a coatinglayer for receiving ink on the surface. Although the coated paper is notparticularly limited, examples thereof include print paper such as artpaper, coated paper, and matte paper, and wall paper.

Although the non-absorbable recording medium is not particularlylimited, examples thereof include: a film or a plate made of plasticsuch as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polycarbonate, polystyrene, or polyurethane; aplate made of metal such as iron, silver, copper, or aluminum; a metalplate or a film made of plastic manufactured by depositing these variouskinds of metal, a plate of an alloy such as stainless or brass; and arecording medium obtained by bonding (coating) a film of plastic such aspolyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polycarbonate, polystyrene, or polyurethane to abase material such as paper, cloth, or a film.

Here, the “low-absorbable recording medium” or the “non-absorbablerecording medium” represents a recording medium of a water absorptionamount of equal to or less than 10 mL/m² in 30 msec from the start ofcontact in the Bristow method. The Bristow method is a method that hasthe most widely been distributed as a method of measuring the liquidabsorption amount in a short time and has also been employed by JAPANTAPPI. Details of the test method are described in Standard No. 51“Paper and sheet paper-Liquid absorbability test method-Bristow method”in “JAPAN TAPPI paper pulse test method 2000”. Note that thelow-absorbable recording medium is a recording medium with theaforementioned water absorption amount of equal to or greater than 5mL/m² and equal to or less than 10 mL/m². Meanwhile, the absorbablerecording medium is a recording medium with the aforementioned waterabsorption amount of greater than 10 mL/m².

The non-absorbable recording medium or the low-absorbable recordingmedium can be classified depending on wettability of the recordingsurface with respect to water. For example, the recording medium can becharacterized by dropping 0.5 μL of water droplet to the recordingsurface of the recording medium and measuring a decrease rate of thecontact angle (comparison with a contact angle at 0.5 milliseconds afterlanding and a contact angle at 5 seconds). More specifically,non-absorbability of the “non-absorbable recording medium” representsthe aforementioned decrease rate of less than 1%, and low-absorbabilityof the “low-absorbable recording medium” represents the aforementioneddecrease rate of equal to or greater than 1% and less than 5% ascharacteristics of the recording medium. Absorbable represents theaforementioned decrease rate of equal to or greater than 5%. Note thatthe contact angle can be measured using a portable contact angle meterPCA-1 (manufactured by Kyowa Interface Science, Inc.) or the like.

Processing Solution Adhesion Process

The processing solution adhesion process is a process of causing aprocessing solution that contains a coagulant for coagulatingconstituents of the colored ink compositions to adhere to a recordingmedium. Note that the processing solution adhesion process is performedat least on a region to which the colored ink composition has adhered ora region to which the colored ink compositions are to adhere. Byproviding the processing solution adhesion process, the constituents ofthe colored ink composition tends to be coagulated on the surface of therecording medium, and it is possible to fix the constituents of the inkon the recording medium early. It is possible to suppress densityirregularity and to reduce the color difference, which is resulted fromoccurrence of density irregularity caused by bleeding of ink droplets onthe recording medium in a case in which no processing solution is used,by using the processing solution. Also, it is possible to minimize earlyfixation of the ink by heating the recording medium to reduce densityirregularity, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the colordifference, by using the processing solution.

However, there may be a case in which a color difference occurs even ina case in which the processing solution is used. This is estimated to bebecause ink droplets are coagulated early on the recording medium withthe processing solution, a different landing order of the respectivecolor between the main scanning thus affects the color difference, and adifference in how the ink droplets are coagulated with the processingsolution between the main scanning affects the color difference. In acase in which the process of heating and drying the processing solutionthat has adhered to the recording medium is provided, it is estimatedthat irregularity in how the processing solution is dried tends to occurdepending on location, and this affects how the ink is coagulated ifthere is heating temperature irregularity depending on locations on therecording medium.

As a method of causing the processing solution to adhere, the processingsolution may be applied using a bar coater, a roll coater, a spray, orthe like in addition to the method of causing the processing solution toadhere using the ink jet scheme in a manner similar to that describedabove. Note that a method that is similar to the aforementioned methodof ejecting the ink compositions can be exemplified as the ink jetscheme.

The processing solution adhesion process may be performed before orafter the ink adhesion process. In a case in which the processingsolution adhesion process is performed before the ink adhesion process,the ink adhesion process may be performed before the processing solutionis dried or after the processing solution is dried. At this time, theinterval before the adhesion of the ink compositions after the adhesionof the processing solution is preferably within 20 seconds. Therecording medium may be heated in order to dry the adhering processingsolution before the adhesion of the ink. The surface temperature of therecording medium at the time of the adhesion of the processing solutionand/or from the adhesion of the processing solution to the adhesion ofthe ink may be within the aforementioned range of the surfacetemperature of the recording medium at the time of the adhesion of theink.

Further, in a case in which the processing solution adhesion process isperformed after the ink adhesion process, the processing solutionadhesion process is preferably performed before the ink compositions aredried.

The processing solution adhesion process may have a process of dryingthe processing solution that has adhered to the recording medium. As adrying unit, a platen heater, a warm wind heater, an IR heater, or thelike provided with a warming function, for example, or a blower or thelike with no warming function is used. Note that the drying temperaturecan be set to 70° C. to 110° C.

A region in which the amount of the adhering processing solution is from5% by mass to 50% by mass with respect to the amount of the adheringcolored ink composition is preferably included in the recording regionto which the colored ink composition and the processing solution arecaused to adhere, a region in which the amount of the adheringprocessing solution is from 5% by mass to 40% by mass is more preferablyincluded therein, and a region in which the amount of the adheringprocessing solution is from 5% by mass to 30% by mass is furtherpreferably included therein. If the amount of adhesion is equal to orgreater than the aforementioned range, density irregularity androughness of the image tend to be improved, and the color differencetends to be further suppressed. Also, if the amount of adhesion is equalto or less than the aforementioned range, it is possible to preventcoagulation of the ink from excessively advancing, to prevent roughnessof the image from increasing, and to prevent the color difference fromincreasing.

Further, the amount of the adhering processing solution in the region,in which the amount of the adhering processing solution with respect tothe amount of the adhering colored ink composition is the maximum, inthe recording region preferably falls within the aforementioned range interms of the aforementioned points.

Processing Solution

The processing solution is not particularly limited as long as theprocessing solution includes the coagulant for coagulating theconstituents of the ink composition. Water, an organic solvent, anantifoaming agent, and a surfactant may be included as needed. Awater-based processing solution is preferably used. As constituents thatmay be included in the processing solution other than the coagulant,constituents other than the coloring agent that may be included in theaforementioned colored ink compositions are exemplified, and the types,content, and the like thereof may be set independently from those of thecolored ink compositions. The processing solution is not a compositionused to color the recording medium. The content of the coloring materialin the processing solution is preferably equal to or less than 0.1% bymass, is more preferably equal to or less than 0.05% by mass, and isfurther preferably equal to or less than 0.01% by mass, and the lowerlimit is 0.00% by mass.

Coagulant

The coagulant is not particularly limited as long as the coagulantcoagulates the constituents of the ink composition, and examples thereofinclude polyvalent metal salts, organic acids or salts thereof, andcationic resin. One kind of the coagulants may be used alone, or two ormore kinds of the coagulants may be used together.

Although the polyvalent metal salts are not particularly limited,examples thereof include polyvalent metal salts of inorganic acids andpolyvalent metal salts of organic acids. Although the polyvalent metalis not particularly limited, examples thereof include alkali earth metalof a group 2 in the periodic table (for example, magnesium and calcium),transition metal of a group 3 in the periodic table (for example,lanthanum), earth metal from a group 13 in the periodic table (forexample, aluminum), and lanthanides (for example, neodymium). As saltsof the polyvalent metal, carboxylic acid salts (such as a formic acid,an acetic acid, and a benzoic acid salt), a sulfuric acid salt, a nitricacid salt, a chloride, and a thiocyanic acid salt are preferably used.Among them, preferable examples include calcium salts or magnesium saltsof the carboxylic acids (such as a formic acid, an acetic acid, and abenzoic acid salt), calcium salts or magnesium salts of the sulfuricacid, calcium salts or magnesium salts of the nitric acid salt, calciumchloride, magnesium chloride, and calcium salts or magnesium salts ofthe thiocyanic acid. Note that one kind of the polyvalent metal saltsmay be used alone, or two or more kinds of the polyvalent metal saltsmay be used together.

Although the organic acids are not particularly limited, examplesthereof include an acetic acid, a phosphoric acid, an oxalic acid, amalonic acid, and a citric acid. Among them, a monovalent carboxylicacid or a carboxylic acid with a valence of two or more is preferablyused. The organic acid may be in a state of a salt. Note that one kindof the organic acids or salts thereof may be used alone, or two or morekinds of the organic acids or salts thereof may be used together. Notethat the organic acids or the salts thereof that are polyvalent metalsalts are assumed to be included in the polyvalent metal salts.

Although the cationic resin is not particularly limited, examplesthereof include an amine-based resin. Any amine-based resin may be usedas long as the amine-based resin has an amino base in the structure.Examples of the amine-based resin include amine-based resin such as anamine/epichlorohydrin condensation-type polymer, a polyallylamine, apolyallyamine derivative. The cationic resin that is soluble in theprocessing solution or the cationic resin that is dispersed in theprocessing solution in the state of a resin emulsion or the like ispreferably used, and the former is more preferably used.

The content of the coagulant is preferably from 1% by mass to 20% bymass and is more preferably from 3% by mass to 10% by mass with respectto the total amount of the processing solution. If the content of thecoagulant falls within the aforementioned range, more excellent bleedingresistance, filling properties, and abrasion resistance of the obtainedrecorded product tend to be achieved.

Water

The content of water is preferably from 55% by mass to 85% by mass, ismore preferably from 60% by mass to 80% by mass, and is furtherpreferably 65% by mass to 75% by mass with respect to the total amountof the processing solution.

Organic Solvent

As the organic solvent included in the processing solution, organicsolvents that are similar to those exemplified for the ink compositioncan be exemplified. One kind of the organic solvents may be used alone,or two or more kinds of the organic solvents may be used in combination.The content of the organic solvent is preferably from 10% by mass to 40%by mass, is more preferably from 15% by mass to 35% by mass, and isfurther preferably from 20% by mass to 30% by mass with respect to thetotal amount of the processing solution.

In addition, the processing solution may include a nitrogen-containingsolvent as the organic solvent. The content of the nitrogen-containingsolvent is preferably from 3% by mass to 25% by mass, is more preferablyfrom 5% by mass to 22% by mass, and is further preferably from 8% bymass to 20% by mass with respect to the total amount of the processingsolution. As the nitrogen-containing solvent, the aforementionednitrogen-containing solvent that may be included in the colored inkcomposition can be used independently from that included in the coloredink composition.

Surfactant

As the surfactant included in the processing solution, the surfactantsthat are similar to those exemplified for the ink composition can beexemplified. The content of the surfactant is preferably from 0.1% bymass to 3% by mass, is more preferably from 0.2% by mass to 2% by mass,and is further preferably from 0.3% by mass to 1.5% by mass with respectto the total amount of the processing solution. If the content of thesurfactant falls within the aforementioned range, wettability of theprocessing solution tends to be improved.

Antifoaming Agent

As the antifoaming agent that is included in the processing solution,the antifoaming agent that are similar to those exemplified for the inkcomposition can be exemplified. The content of the antifoaming agent ispreferably from 0.03% by mass to 0.7% by mass, is more preferably from0.05% by mass to 0.5% by mass, and is further preferably from 0.08% bymass to 0.3% by mass with respect to the total amount of the processingsolution.

Recording Apparatus

The recording apparatus used in the embodiment is adapted to performrecord by the aforementioned recording method and is not particularlylimited as long as the recording apparatus has an ink jet head that hasnozzles for ejecting the ink compositions to a recording medium and amechanism to cause the processing solution to adhere. A schematicsectional view of the recording apparatus is illustrated in FIG. 1. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, the recording apparatus 1 includes a recordinghead 2, an IR heater 3, a platen heater 4, a drying heater 5, a coolingfan 6, a preheater 7, and fans 8.

The recording head 2 is adapted to eject the ink compositions to therecording medium. A known scheme in the related art can be used for therecording head 2, and examples thereof include a head that ejects liquiddroplets using oscillation of a piezoelectric element, that is, a headthat forms ink droplets by mechanical deformation of an electrostrictiveelement. The IR heater 3 and the platen heater 4 are adapted mainly toheat the recording medium 10 and can also heat the recording head. It ispossible to heat the recording medium from the side of the recordinghead 2 with the IR heater 3. In this manner, it is possible to heat therecording medium on the side of the recording head 2 and on the oppositeside using the platen heater 4. The platen heater 4 may be formed byaligning a plurality of heater elements in the main scanning direction.This is preferable since it is easy to obtain and manufacture the platenheater. In contrast, temperature irregularity tends to occur in theheating in the main scanning direction. The drying heater 5 is adaptedto dry the recording medium to which the ink compositions have adhered.By heating the recording medium on which an image has been recorded,moisture and the like included in the ink composition quickly evaporatesand flies, and a coated film is formed with the resin included in theink composition. In this manner, the dried ink is firmly fixed (bonded)on the recording medium, and an image with excellent abrasion resistanceand high image quality can be obtained in a short time. The recordingmedium 10 is transported from the right to the left in the drawingduring the recording.

The recording apparatus 1 may have cooling fan 6. It tends to bepossible to form the coated film with satisfactory adhesiveness on therecording medium by cooling the ink compositions on the recording mediumwith the cooling fan 6 after the drying.

In addition, the recording apparatus 1 may include a preheater 7 thatheats (preheats) the recording medium in advance before the inkcompositions are ejected to the recording medium. By preheating therecording medium before the ejection of the ink compositions, it tendsto be possible to form an image with less bleeding and high imagequality on a recording medium, in particular, a non-absorbable orlow-absorbable recording medium.

The recording head 2 is mounted on a carriage 9. The carriage 9 performsscanning (main scanning) of ejecting the ink compositions from the headwhile moving in the closest-furthest direction in the drawing andcausing the ink compositions to adhere to the recording medium that thehead faces. Recording is performed by alternately repeating the scanningand transporting (sub scanning) of the recording medium 10. That is, aserial-type recording method in which recording is performed byperforming the scanning a plurality of times is performed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a configurationin the surroundings of the carriage in the recording apparatus inFIG. 1. The configuration in the surroundings of the carriage 11 has acarriage 9, an ink jet head 2 that is mounted on the carriage 9, amember 12 including nozzles that is a part of the ink jet head 2 andejects ink, an ink accommodation body (not illustrated), and an inksupply path (not illustrated) such as an ink supply tube that suppliesink from the ink accommodation body to the ink jet head 2. The inkaccommodation body may be provided at a location other than the carriage9 or may be provided in the carriage. In addition, the ink accommodationbody includes a platen 4, which is disposed below the carriage 9, towhich the recording medium 10 is transported, a carriage movingmechanism 13 that moves the carriage 9 relative to the recording medium10, a transport mechanism 14 that is a roller for transporting therecording medium 10 in the sub scanning direction (transport direction),and a control unit CONT that controls operations of the carriage 9 andthe like. The direction S1-S2 is the main scanning direction while thedirection T1→T2 is the sub scanning direction. Note that the scanning isperformed on any side in the main scanning direction (the left-rightdirection of the apparatus) in the scanning performed once.

Further, the recording apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 includes fans 8 for feedingwind to the surface of the recording medium in terms of efficient dryingof the ink compositions and adjustment of the temperatures of therecording medium and the nozzle plane. In order to describe the fans 8in more detail, description will be given with reference to FIGS. 2A and2B. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, the recording head 2 is mounted on the carriageand ejects the ink compositions from the head while moving in the mainscanning direction that is the closest-furthest direction in thedrawing. FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a state in which wind at alocation where there is no carriage in the main scanning direction (theclosest-furthest direction in the drawing) flows to the recording mediumin the main scanning of the carriage, and FIG. 2B illustrates a state inwhich wind at a location where there is a carriage does not flowdirectly to the recording medium.

The plurality of fans 8 are provided in line in the width direction (themain scanning direction) of the recording medium 10 such that it ispossible to constantly feed wind from an end to an end of the width ofthe recording medium 10. In FIG. 2A, wind hits the surface of therecording medium 10. Since the hitting angle inclines in the leftdirection in the drawing with respective to the surface of the recordingmedium, the orientation of the wind changes in the left direction of thedrawing after hitting the surface, and the wind is fed to the downstreamside in the transport direction of the recording medium in parallel tothe surface of the recording medium in the region, to which the ink hasadhered, on the recording medium. In this manner, it is possible topromote drying of the ink in the region, to which the ink has adhered,on the recording medium.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the fans 8 in FIGS. 2A and 2B when seen from thefront of the fans. As illustrated in the drawing, the plurality of fans8 are provided in line in the width direction of the recording medium.

Meanwhile, wind hits a windbreak member provided above the carriage,separates into the left-right direction in the drawing, changes theorientation, and does not hit directly the surface of the recordingmedium in FIG. 2B. In this manner, it is possible to reduce influencesof clogging and landing position deviation due to the wind hitting thenozzles or flying ink droplets at the location where there is acarriage.

However, the wind fed in parallel to the surface of the recording mediumslightly varies in some cases in FIG. 2A, and this affects the landingpositions due to blowing of the wind from the side direction to therecording head 2 even at the location where there is a carriage. Also,there is a case in which the wind that has hit the windbreak member andhas changed the orientation flows in an unintended direction, andsimilar influences slightly occur in FIG. 2B.

Note that the fans 8 in FIGS. 2A and 2B are one mode of the wind feedingmechanism that feeds wind to the recording medium, and the wind feedingmechanism is not limited thereto as long as the wind feeding mechanismcan feed wind to the recording medium. A mode in which a wind feedingport is laterally directed such that wind is caused to flow to an upperlayer of the recording medium or a mode in which wind is caused to hitthe ink adhesion region on the surface of the recording medium from theupper direction is considered as another mode.

Number of Times of Scanning

The number of times of scanning is also referred to as the number ofpasses. The number of times of scanning in which a nozzle group used forperforming recording with a certain ink composition faces and passesthrough a certain position, to which the recoding is performed, on therecording medium is referred to as the number of times of scanning withthe ink composition. The nozzle group is a group of nozzles, such as anozzle array aligned in the sub scanning direction of the ink jet headand is adapted to eject the ink composition for recording. The number oftimes of main scanning can be increased by reducing the distance of thesub scanning performed once or can be reduced by increasing thedistance. The number of times of scanning can be set to eight (passes)by reducing the distance of the sub scanning performed once to oneeighth of the length of the nozzle group in the sub scanning direction,for example. The number of times of scanning is equal to or greater thanone, is preferably from two to twenty, and is more preferably from fourto ten. The larger number of times of main scanning is more preferablesince it is possible to increase the total amount of the inkcompositions that are caused to adhere and it is possible to cause theink compositions in a divided manner through scanning performed aplurality of times. Meanwhile, the smaller number of times of scanningis preferable since a recording speed is high.

Other Embodiments

Other embodiments of the invention are as follows.

A recording method includes: an ink adhesion process of ejecting coloredink compositions that include a cyan ink composition, a magenta inkcomposition, a yellow ink composition, and a special color inkcomposition with a hue angle that is different from those of therespective ink compositions from an ink jet head and causing the coloredink compositions to adhere to a recording medium; and a processingsolution adhesion process of causing a processing solution that containsa coagulant for coagulating constituents of the colored ink compositionsto adhere to the recording medium, the ink adhesion process is performedby performing scanning, in which the colored ink compositions areejected while a relative position of the ink jet head with respect tothe recording medium is changed in a scanning direction, a plurality oftimes, and a difference in surface temperatures of the recording mediumwhen the colored ink is caused to adhere in the ink adhesion process isfrom 1° C. to 10° C.

In another embodiment described above, it is not necessary that themaximum distance of the scanning performed once is equal to or greaterthan 50 cm in the ink adhesion process in the aforementioned embodiment,and instead, the difference of the surface temperature of the recordingmedium when the colored ink is caused to adhere in the in adhesionprocess is from 1° C. to 10° C. Another embodiment described above isachieved by paying attention to the fact that a difference occurs in thesurface temperature of the recording medium as one of reasons of thecolor difference occurring in the recorded product in the ink adhesionprocess as described above. According to the embodiment, excellentreduction of density irregularity and reduction of the color differencecan be achieved even in a case in which the difference of the surfacetemperature of the recording medium falls within a predetermined range,which is preferable. It is more preferable that the difference of thesurface temperature of the recording medium fall within theaforementioned range. Another embodiment described above can be similarto the aforementioned embodiment for configurations other than theaforementioned configuration and may further include otherconfigurations that the aforementioned embodiment has.

Examples

Hereinafter, the invention will be described more specifically usingexamples and comparative examples. The invention is not limited by thefollowing examples.

Materials for Ink Compositions

Main materials of the ink compositions and the processing solution usedin examples, comparatives, and reference examples described below are asfollows.

Pigment Dispersion

-   -   See Fabrication Example 1 below.

Organic Solvent

-   -   Dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether    -   Propylene glycol    -   2-pyrrolidone

Coagulant

-   -   Calcium acetate monohydrate    -   Acetic acid    -   Cationmaster PD-7 (manufactured by Yokkaichi Chemical Company,        Limited.; cationic resin: amine//epichlorohydrin condensation        polymer)

Resin

-   -   St-Ac resin emulsion (see Fabrication Example 2 below)

Wax

-   -   AQUACER 515 (manufactured by BYK Additives & Instruments; wax        emulsion)

Surfactant

-   -   Dinol 607 (manufactured by Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.;        acetylenediol-based surfactant)    -   BYK 348 (manufactured by BYK Additives & Instruments;        silicone-based surfactant

Antifoaming Agent

-   -   Surfynol DF110D (manufactured by Nissin Chemical Co., Ltd.;        acetylenediol-based antifoaming agent)

Fabrication Example 1: Preparation of Pigment Dispersion

40 parts by mass of St-Ac acid copolymer (copolymer obtained bycopolymerizing methacrylic acid/butyl acrylate/styrene/hydroxyethylacrylate at a mass ratio of 25/50/15/10 with a weight average molecularweight of 7000; acid value: 150 mgKOH/g) was poured into a liquidobtained by mixing 7 parts by mass of potassium hydroxide, 23 parts bymass of water, and 30 parts by mass of triethylene glycol-mono-n-butylether, and the mixture was heated at 80° C. while being stirred, therebypreparing a resin aqueous solution.

20 parts by mass of pigment, 10 parts by mass of resin aqueous solution,10 parts by mass of diethylene glycol, and 60 parts by mass of ionexchanged water were mixed and dispersed using a zirconium bead mill,thereby obtaining a pigment dispersion of each color. Note that thepigments used are as follows.

-   -   Cyan pigment dispersion: C.I. Pigment Blue 15:3    -   Magenta pigment dispersion: C.I. PR122    -   Yellow pigment dispersion: C.I. PY74    -   Orange pigment dispersion: C.I. P043    -   Red pigment dispersion: C.I. PR178    -   Green pigment dispersion: C.I. PG7    -   Blue pigment dispersion: C.I. PB60    -   Black pigment dispersion: C.I. PBk7

Fabrication Example 2: Preparation of St-Ac Resin Emulsion

75 parts by mass of styrene, 0.5 parts by mass of acrylic acid, 14.5parts by mass of methyl methacrylate, and 10 parts by mass of cyclohexylmethacrylate were emulsion-copolymerized, thereby obtaining an St-Acresin emulsion. Note that Newcol NT-30 (manufactured by Nippon NyukazaiCo., Ltd.) was used as a surfactant for emulsion polymerization, and theamount of use thereof was set to 2 parts by mass with respect to thetotal amount of the monomer that was assumed to be 100 parts by mass.

Preparation of Ink Compositions and Processing Solution

The respective materials were mixed to satisfy the compositions inTables 1 and 2 illustrated below and were sufficiently stirred, therebyobtaining the respective ink compositions and processing solution. Notethat the unit of the numerical values in Tables 1 and 2 illustratedbelow is % by mass, and the sum is 100.0% by mass. The values for thepigment and the resin in the tables represent with % by mass in terms ofsolid content of the pigment and the resin in the ink.

A recording pattern was recorded with Ink 1 to 8 one by one with anamount of adhesion of 10 mg/inch2, the color of the pattern wasmeasured, and a hue angle was obtained from the color measurement value.Equations for calculating the hue angle are as follows. Ink 1 to 8 hadmutually different hue angles. Also, the hue angles are within theaforementioned preferable ranges of the hue angles for the ink of therespective colors.

∠H°=tan−1(b*/a*)+180 (in a case in which a*<0)φH°=tan−1(b*/a*)+360 (in a case in which a*>0)

TABLE 1 Processing Processing Processing solution 1 solution 2 solution3 Solvent Dipropylene glycol 15 15 15 dimethyl ether 2-pyrrolidone 10 1010 Coagulant Calcium acetate 5 monohydrate Acetic acid 3 Catiomaster 4PD-7 (solid content) Antifoaming DF110D 0.1 0.1 0.1 agent SurfactantDinol 607 1 1 1 Pure water Residual Residual Residual Total 100 100 100

TABLE 2 Ink name Ink 1 Ink 2 Ink 3 Ink 4 Ink 5 Ink 6 Ink 7 Ink 8 Ink 9Ink type Cyan Magenta Yellow Orange Red Green Blue Green Black ink inkink ink ink ink ink ink ink Solvent Propylene glycol 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 5Dipropylene glycol 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 9 7 dimethyl ether 2-pyrrolidone 13 1313 13 13 13 13 9 13 Pigment Black pigment dispersion Cyan pigment 2dispersion Magenta pigment 3 dispersion Yellow pigment 3.5 dispersionOrange pigment 3 dispersion Red pigment 2 dispersion Green pigment 3 3dispersion Blue pigment 2 dispersion Black pigment 2 dispersion ResinSt-Ac resin 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 emulsion Wax emulsion 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2Antifoaming DF110D 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 agent SurfactantBYK348 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Pure water Residual Residual Residual ResidualResidual Residual Residual Residual Residual Total 100 100 100 100 100100 100 100 100

Recording Method

A modified machine SC-S80650 (hereinafter, referred to as an“SC-S80650”) (manufactured by Seiko Epson Corporation) that had a platenheater in which heater elements were arranged in line in the mediumwidth direction and fans that are arranged in line in the widthdirection of the recording medium above the head was prepared. The inkjet head was of a serial type as illustrated in FIG. 1 and was able toperform recording with the ink in order from the ink jet head. The fanswere caused to blow wind at the ordinary temperature (25° C.) from theupper side toward the recording medium.

Nozzle arrays (360 nozzles) of the ink jet head on the upstream side inthe transport direction of the recording medium were filled with theaforementioned processing solution, and nozzle arrays of the ink jethead on the downstream side in the transport direction of the recordingmedium were filled with the respective ink compositions. Then, theprocessing solution was ejected from the ink jet head and was caused toadhere to a recording medium (manufactured by Ultraflex; JetFlex FL 80),and the ink compositions were then ejected and were caused to adhere tothe recording medium.

The amounts of the adhering reaction solution in the table wererepresented with % by mass with respect to the total amount of theadhering ink compositions. Also, each of the volume of processingsolution droplets and the volume of the ink droplets was set to 20ng/dot, basic resolution was set to 720×720 dpi, and the dot density wasadjusted, such that each amount of adhesion was able to be adjusted.Also, the number of times of scanning was set to eight passes for eachcomposition. Finally, the recorded product was heated and dried at 95°C. for 30 seconds with a secondary heater located on the downstream sidebeyond the ink jet head.

A solid pattern for evaluating a color difference was recorded under theaforementioned recording conditions.

First, the amounts of ink of basic colors and a special color foradjusting a solid pattern with any of the recorded colors to be recordedwere adjusted and decided for the respective examples. Target colors ofsolid patterns of the respective colors were set as follows.

-   -   Red color solid pattern (L*50, a*=40, b*=10, ∠H°=14)    -   Orange color solid pattern (L*50, a*=30, b*=30, ∠H°=45)    -   Blue color solid pattern (L*50, a*=40, b*=−40, ∠H°−1°=315)    -   Green color solid pattern (L*50, a*=−40, b*=10, ∠H°=166)

When the amounts of the adhering ink were decided, solid patterns fortests were recorded on the aforementioned recording medium, and thecolors were measured. The colors were measured using Spectrolinomanufactured by GretagMacbeth. The colors were measured on the basis ofa CIELAB color system. The amounts of the adhering ink were adjusted anddecided such that the hue angles (∠H°) of the color measurement valuesbecame the values of the aforementioned target colors. In this manner,the amounts of the respective adhering ink used to record the solidpatterns of the respective colors were decided for the respectiveexamples.

Note that in Reference Example 3, a pattern of a cyan color obtained byperforming recording with the cyan ink alone was obtained, and theamount of adhesion was set to 10 mg/inch².

Solid patterns for evaluating color differences were successivelyrecorded with the amounts of the adhering ink decided as described aboveand under the aforementioned recording conditions, thereby producingrecorded products. Note that the solid patterns were recorded in theentire range, in which recording was able to be performed, in thelateral width direction of the medium and were recorded over the lengthof 1500 mm in the medium feeding direction. Note that the lateral widthof the recording medium of the recording medium was adjusted by cuttingor attaching the recording medium, and the maximum distances of thescanning performed once were adjusted to the values illustrated inTables 3 and 4.

The types of the ink compositions used were as described in Tables 3 and4.

In the aforementioned recording method, the plate heater was controlledsuch that the surface temperatures of the recording medium in the platenregion that faced the head during recording were the heatingtemperatures in Tables 3 and 4. Specifically, in a case in which thesurface temperature was set to be equal to or greater than 35° C., thesurface temperature was adjusted by turning on the platen heater. In acase in which the surface temperature was set to be equal to or lessthan 25° C., the room temperature was adjusted without using the platenheater.

For the surface temperature of the recording medium, the temperatures ofthe entire region, which the head was able to face during the mainscanning, on the recording medium supported by the platen were measuredat intervals of 1 cm square and were regarded as the maximum temperatureof the surface of the recording medium in the region during therecording. The measurement was performed using a non-contact-typethermometer. For the temperature measurement, recording was continuouslyperformed for 1 hour under the aforementioned processing, themeasurement was started 1 minute later than start of the recording, andthe measurement was performed every 1 minute during the recording.

TABLE 3 Comparative Example Comparative Example Comparative ExampleComparative Example Example 1 1 Example 2 2 Example 3 3 Example 4 4Processing Processing solution 1 Processing solution 1 Processingsolution 1 Processing solution 1 solution Amount of 10 10 10 10 10 10 1010 adhering processing solution (with respect to mass % of ink) Ink set1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 7 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 4 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 5 1, 2, 3 1, 2,3, 6 configuration ink name Recorded color Blue Orange Red Green Maximum160 160 160 160 distance of scanning performed once (cm) Maximum time of2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 scanning performed once (s) Surface 35 35 35 35temperature of recording medium during recording (° C.) Color differenceD A D A D A D A evaluation Abrasion A A A A A A A A resistance Waterfriction B B B B B B B B resistance Image quality B A B A B A B Aroughness evaluation Density irregularity A A A A A A A A ComparativeExample Comparative Example Example 5 5 Example 6 6 Example 7 Example 8Example 9 Processing Processing solution 2 Processing solution 3Processing Processing Processing solution solution 1 solution 1 solution1 Amount of 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 adhering processing solution (withrespect to mass % of ink) Ink set 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 6 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 61, 2, 3, 6 1, 2, 3, 6 1, 2, 3, 6 configuration ink name Recorded colorGreen Green Green Green Green Maximum 160 160 160 160 160 distance ofscanning performed once (cm) Maximum time of 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2scanning performed once (s) Surface 35 35 25 22 45 temperature ofrecording medium during recording (° C.) Color difference D A D A A A Bevaluation Abrasion A A A A B C A resistance Water friction B B B A C DA resistance Image quality B B C B B C A roughness evaluation Densityirregularity A A A A B B A

TABLE 4 Example Comparative Example Example Example Example ExampleExample 10 Example 7 11 12 13 14 15 16 Processing solution ProcessingProcessing solution 1 Processing Processing Processing ProcessingProcessing solution 1 solution 1 solution 1 solution 1 solution 1solution 1 Amount of adhering 10 10 10 10 10 10 30 5 processing solution(with respect to mass % of ink) Ink set configuration ink 1, 2, 3, 6 1,2, 3 1, 2, 3, 6 1, 2, 3, 6 1, 2, 3, 6 1, 2, 3, 8 1, 2, 3, 6 1, 2, 3, 6name Recorded color Green Green Green Green Green Green Green Maximumdistance of 160 71 170 198 160 160 160 scanning performed once (cm)Maximum time of 2.2 1.0 2.4 2.6 2.2 2.2 2.2 scanning performed once (s)Surface temperature of 47 35 35 35 35 35 35 recording medium duringrecording (° C.) Color difference C D A B C B B B evaluation Abrasionresistance A B B A A B B A Water friction resistance A C C B B B B AImage quality A B A A A A B B roughness evaluation Density irregularityA A A A A A A B Comparative Example Reference Reference ReferenceReference Reference Example 8 17 Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4Example 5 Processing solution Processing solution 1 ProcessingProcessing Processing — — solution 1 solution 1 solution 1 Amount ofadhering 10 10 10 10 10 — — processing solution (with respect to mass %of ink) Ink set configuration ink 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 6 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 61 1, 2, 3, 6 1, 2, 3, 6 name Recorded color Green Green Cyan color GreenGreen Maximum distance of 120 36 160 160 160 scanning performed once(cm) Maximum time of 1.7 0.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 scanning performed once (s)Surface temperature of 35 35 35 35 50 recording medium during recording(° C.) Color difference D A B A A C D evaluation Abrasion resistance B AB B A A A Water friction resistance C C C C B A A Image quality B A B AA C B roughness evaluation Density irregularity A A A A A C B

Evaluation of Color Difference

The solid patterns of the obtained recorded products were sectioned into2×2 cm square regions, the colors of the respective regions weremeasured, and the largest color differences (ΔE00) between therespective regions were obtained. Occurrence of the color differenceswas evaluated on the basis of the following evaluation criteria. Theseare maximum color differences between the regions.

A: The maximum color difference between the regions satisfied ΔE≤1.0.B: The maximum color difference between the regions satisfied1.0<ΔE≤1.5.C: The maximum color difference between the regions satisfied1.5<ΔE≤2.0.D: The maximum color difference between the regions satisfied 2.0<ΔE.

Adhesion Resistance

The recording regions of the obtained recorded products were cut intorectangular shapes of 30×150 mm and were rubbed ten times with afriction element obtained by attaching a flat woven cloth to a JSPS-typefriction fastness tester AB-301 (name of product manufactured by TesterSangyo Co., Ltd.) with application of a load of 500 g. Then, peeling ofthe recorded pattern portions on the recording medium was visuallyobserved and was evaluated on the basis of the following evaluationcriteria.

A: No peeling occurred, and no transfer to the cloth was observed.B: Although no peeling occurred, transfer to the cloth was observed.C: Peeling occurred, and the peeling area was less than 10% with respectto the evaluation area.D: Peeling occurred, and the peeling area was equal to or greater than10% with respect to the evaluation area.

Water Friction Resistance

The recording regions of the obtained recorded products were cut intorectangular shapes of 30×150 mm and were rubbed ten times with afriction element obtained by attaching a flat woven cloth to a JSPS-typefriction fastness tester AB-301 (name of product manufactured by TesterSangyo Co., Ltd.) with application of a load of 200 g. Then, peeling ofthe recorded pattern portions on the recording medium was visuallyobserved and was evaluated on the basis of the following evaluationcriteria.

A: No peeling occurred, and no transfer to the cloth was observed.B: Although no peeling occurred, transfer to the cloth was observed.C: Peeling occurred, and the peeling area was less than 10% with respectto the evaluation area.D: Peeling occurred, and the peeling area was equal to or greater than10% with respect to the evaluation area.

Evaluation of Roughness of Image Quality

The recording regions of the obtained recorded products were visuallyobserved and evaluated on the basis of the following evaluationcriteria.

A: No rough feeling was observed at all.B: Although a rough feeling was noticeable, there was no problem.C: There was a rough feeling.

Density Irregularity (Bleeding)

The recording regions of the obtained recorded products were visuallyobserved and evaluated on the basis of the following evaluationcriteria.

A: No color density irregularity was observed in the plane of the solidpattern.B: Small color density irregularity was slightly observed in the planeof the solid pattern.C: Large color density was noticeable in the plane of the solid pattern.

It was possible to understand from the aforementioned results thatexcellent suppression of color differences was achieved in the obtainedrecorded products in all the examples in which the cyan ink, the magentaink, the yellow ink, the special color ink, and the processing solutionwere used and the maximum distance of the scanning performed once wasequal to or greater than 50 cm.

In contrast, suppression of color differences was inferior in any of thecomparative examples that did not meet the aforementioned conditions.Details will be described below.

In comparison of Examples 7 to 10 and 4, it was possible to understandthat in the case in which the surface temperature of the recordingmedium at the time of the adhesion of the ink was low, abrasionresistance and the water friction resistance of the obtained recordedproducts and suppression of roughness and density irregularity wererelatively degraded. It was also estimated that the suppression of thecolor differences was also slightly degraded for the reason ofdegradation of the suppression of the density irregularity although itwas not sure.

Meanwhile, it was possible to understand that abrasion resistance andwater friction resistance of the obtained recorded products, roughness,and density irregularity were improved while the color differences wererelatively degraded as the surface temperature of the recording mediumincreased. On the basis of this fact, it was possible to achieve moreexcellent suppression of the density irregularity and the colordifference in a case in which the heating temperature of the recordingmedium during the adhesion was optimized.

In comparison of Examples 11 to 13, 17, and 4, it was possible tounderstand that the color differences tended to occur as the maximumdistances of the scanning performed once were longer and the colordifferences tended not to occur as the maximum distances of the scanningperformed once were shorter. On the basis of this fact, the embodimentis particularly useful even in a case in which a recorded product with along distance that is useful for display or the like, due to excellentsuppression of color differences.

In comparison of Examples 15, 16, and 4, the suppression of the colordifferences was slightly inferior regardless of whether the amounts ofthe adhering processing solution were large or small. It was estimatedthat suppression of density irregularity was slightly inferior as theamounts of the adhering processing solution were small and that thesuppression of the color differences was slightly degraded due todensity irregularity. Meanwhile, when the amounts of the adheringprocessing solution were large, trends that abrasion resistance wasslightly degraded and image quality and roughness slightly increasedwere observed since coagulation of the constituents of the ink waspromoted. It was estimated that the color differences tended to increasedue to the roughness of the image quality. It was discovered that therewas a more preferable amount of adhesion for the processing solution.

In comparison of Examples 14 and 4, it was discovered that moreexcellent suppression of the color differences was achieved as thecontent of the nitrogen-containing solvents in the ink increased.

Meanwhile, suppression of the color differences was inferior inComparative Examples 1 to 8 since the special color ink was not used.

In Reference Examples 1 and 2, it was possible to understand that theproblem of the color differences was a problem unique to a case in whichthe maximum distance of the scanning performed once was long since theproblem of the color differences did not occur in a case in which themaximum distance of the scanning performed once was short. However, itwas not possible to obtain recorded products that were useful fordisplay or the like.

From Reference Example 3, it was discovered that occurrence of the colordifferences was not problematic as long as a primary color was recorded.

In Reference Example 4, image quality (density irregularity) wasinferior since the processing solution was not used. It was not possibleto coagulate the constituents of the ink with the processing solutionand to fix the constituents early, ink bleeding occurred, and densityirregularity occurred. The image appeared to be rough due to colordensity irregularity. It was estimated to be because it was not possibleto stably reproduce the recording colors to be recorded due to thedensity irregularity and the suppression of the color differences wasalso degraded.

In Reference Example 5, suppression of the color density irregularitywas improved by increasing the temperature of the recording mediumduring the adhesion of the ink while the heating temperature during theadhesion of the ink was high, the temperature irregularity significantlyoccurred, and the color differences deteriorated.

Note that although not described in the tables, it was possible tounderstand that black color recording with lower brightness and lowercolor saturation was able to be performed by applying Ink 9 (black ink)to the ink set in each example.

Note that when the temperature difference between the maximumtemperature (temperatures in the tables) and the minimum temperature ofthe surface temperature of the recording medium in the platen regionthat was able to face the head in the main scanning of the head duringthe recording was checked, and the temperature difference was 4° C. inExample 12, 6° C. in Example 13, 1° C. in Example 11, 2° C. in Example17, 10° C. in Example 10, and less than 1° C. in Reference Example 1. Onthe basis of the results, it was discovered that the temperaturedifference tended to increase as the maximum distance of the scanningperformed once was longer. Also, the temperature difference tended to belarge as the surface temperature of the recording medium was higher.

Although not described in the tables, when the heating temperature ofthe platen heater was further raised, force of wind to be fed from thefans was increased from 1 m/s to 2 m/s, and the surface temperature ofthe recording medium during the recording was controlled at 35° C. thatwas the same as that in Example 12 using a decrease in the temperatureof the recording medium heated by the platen heater due to wind inExample 12, it was difficult to reduce the temperature differencebetween the maximum temperature and the minimum temperature, thetemperature difference became 6° C., and the color difference wasevaluated as C. On the basis of this fact, a large temperaturedifference of the recording medium was also at least one of reasons ofthe color difference.

Note that in the aforementioned other embodiments, the aforementionedexamples may be comparative examples, or the comparative examples may beexamples.

The entire disclosures of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2018-051555,filed Mar. 19, 2018 and 2018-114639, filed Jun. 15, 2018 are expresslyincorporated by reference herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A recording method comprising: ejecting coloredink compositions that include a cyan ink composition, a magenta inkcomposition, a yellow ink composition, and a special color inkcomposition with a hue angle that is different from hue angles of therespective ink compositions from an ink jet head and causing the inkcompositions to adhere to a recording medium; and causing a processingsolution that contains a coagulant for coagulating constituents of thecolored ink compositions to adhere to the recording medium, wherein thecausing of the ink compositions to adhere is performed by performingscanning, in which the colored ink compositions are ejected while arelative position of the ink jet head with respect to the recordingmedium is changed in a scanning direction, a plurality of times, and amaximum distance of scanning performed once in the causing of the inkcompositions to adhere is equal to or greater than 50 cm.
 2. Therecording method according to claim 1, wherein the special color inkcomposition includes at least any of an orange ink composition, a redink composition, a green ink composition, and a blue ink composition. 3.The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the colored inkcompositions further include a black ink composition.
 4. The recordingmethod according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium islow-absorbable recording medium or a non-absorbable recording medium. 5.The recording method according to claim 1, further comprising: heatingthe recording medium, the causing of the ink compositions to adherebeing performed on the heated recording medium; or feeding wind to aregion to which the colored ink compositions are caused to adhere in thecausing of the ink compositions to adhere.
 6. The recording methodaccording to claim 1, wherein a surface temperature of the recordingmedium when the colored ink compositions are caused to adhere in thecausing of the ink compositions to adhere is 30° C. to 45° C.
 7. Therecording method according to claim 1, wherein a maximum time of thescanning performed once in the causing of the ink compositions to adhereis equal to or greater than 0.8 seconds.
 8. The recording methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the coagulant is any one kind or more ofpolyvalent metal salts, organic acids or salts thereof, and cationicresin.
 9. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein a maximumdistance of the scanning performed once in the causing of the inkcompositions to adhere is 50 to 500 cm.
 10. The recording methodaccording to claim 1, wherein a region in which an amount of theadhering processing solution is 5% to 30% by mass with respect to anamount of the adhering colored ink compositions is included in arecording region to which the colored ink compositions and theprocessing solutions are caused to adhere.
 11. The recording methodaccording to claim 1, wherein a temperature difference in surfacetemperatures of the recording medium in the causing of the inkcompositions to adhere is from 1° C. to 10° C.
 12. A recording methodcomprising: ejecting colored ink compositions that include a cyan inkcomposition, a magenta ink composition, a yellow ink composition, and aspecial color ink composition with a hue angle that is different fromhue angles of the respective ink compositions from an ink jet head andcausing the ink compositions to adhere to a recording medium; andcausing a processing solution that contains a coagulant for coagulatingconstituents of the colored ink compositions to adhere to the recordingmedium, wherein the causing of the ink compositions to adhere isperformed by performing scanning, in which the colored ink compositionsare ejected while a relative position of the ink jet head with respectto the recording medium is changed in a scanning direction, a pluralityof times, and a difference in surface temperatures of the recordingmedium when the colored ink is caused to adhere in the causing of theink compositions to adhere is from 1° C. to 10° C.
 13. A recordingapparatus that performs recording by the recording method according toclaim
 1. 14. A recording apparatus that performs recording by therecording method according to claim
 2. 15. A recording apparatus thatperforms recording by the recording method according to claim
 3. 16. Arecording apparatus that performs recording by the recording methodaccording to claim
 4. 17. A recording apparatus that performs recordingby the recording method according to claim
 5. 18. A recording apparatusthat performs recording by the recording method according to claim 6.19. A recording apparatus that performs recording by the recordingmethod according to claim
 7. 20. A recording apparatus that performsrecording by the recording method according to claim 8.